COS renews four year contract with president

Sarah Kirby

Monday

Jun 17, 2019 at 12:01 AM

The 2019-2020 Associated Student Board Budget was brought to the board for approval. The budget included a fee that will now be charged to students who enroll at COS. This fee is for increasing activities on campus for students, but students are able to opt out of this fee if they would like.

Celebrating the end of the spring semester, the College of the Siskiyous Board of Trustees enjoyed a tour of the college’s makerspace and manufacturing facility on the Yreka campus. They also discussed newly received grant money and agreed to a four year contract renewal with the college president, Stephen Schoonmaker. All trustees were in attendance for the meeting on June 4.

The 2019-2020 Associated Student Board Budget was brought to the board for approval. The budget included a fee that will now be charged to students who enroll at COS. This fee is for increasing activities on campus for students, but students are able to opt out of this fee if they would like.

Trustee Barry Ohlund asked how much money the fee could create for campus clubs, and it was explained that currently there are 10 clubs on campus. The new fee could provide each club with $500. A motion was made to approve the ASB budget, and the motion unanimously passed. Associate Dean of Student Success Valerie Roberts spoke to the board about the Gear Up Project Agreement. She explained that the college will only have a short time to spend the money, but she knows they can do it.

“Gear up is a project that has a one year, no-cost extension, and it is funded through UC Davis. They offered us 100,000 dollars. We can do anything with these funds that would serve our students,” Roberts said.

A motion was made to accept the agreement, and that motion unanimously passed. Vice President of Student Services Melissa Green spoke to the board about the Student Equity and Achievement Plan, which helps disadvantaged students by finding ways to create outreach and peer mentor programs. The motion to accept the plan unanimously passed.

The board accepted the CVC-OEI Online CTE Pathways Grant for an online certificate and degree in administration of justice. This action item involved a large grant that the college received in order to make more of their administration of justice degree classes available online. Administration of Justice Instructor Michelle Korkowski spoke to the board about this new opportunity.

“Our whole program is mapped out, and a student can get the certificate in one year or do the degree program in two,” Korkowski said.

The board was very pleased with the grant, and they were hopeful that these new virtual offerings would make administration of justice courses more accessible to individuals throughout the county and state. The board unanimously accepted Proposition 30 Education Protection Account (EPA), which deals with sales and income tax increases and funds spent in the arts and humanities.

The board was given a quick presentation about the College of the Siskiyous Institutional Master Plan. This was the board’s first reading of the plan, which they approved.

The board approved the consideration of an employment agreement with the President of the college. The agreement was a four year contract in which Schoonmaker will receive a doctoral stipend, a $600 car allowance, a stipend for membership to certain organizations, full benefits, and his yearly salary. The board unanimously approved the contract.

Bela Fujimoto was sworn in as the new Associated Student Board Student Trustee by board President Carol Cupp. Fujimoto thanked the board. During the makerspace tour, the board saw the 3D printer making a miniature statue of liberty out of ABS plastic. They also saw the laser engraver, heat press for making t-shirts, and equipment for printing decals. On a table in the makerspace were items that makers had recently made such as wood boxes with engravings on top.

Located in an adjacent building, the board was able to view the college’s manufacturing facility, which came complete with a CNC machine, welding equipment, and lathes. Mark Klever, Dean of Career and Technical Education and the Yreka Center Director mentioned that he wants individuals involved in critical thinking when they work on projects in the makerspace and manufacturing areas. He stated they do not want people to simply pull files off the internet and press print, but he wants students to learn how to create the model of the item they will make.

The board saw the tiny house or “efficient home” that students built using the manufacturing facilities. The home was adorned with a large vinyl banner that had been made that day in the makerspace. The college hopes this space will be a collaborative zone to help individuals gain STEM skill sets. Additionally, a noncredit class is currently being offered this summer at the college to help individuals learn how to maneuver the makerspace equipment.

This small business, marketing, sales, and graphic design course meets on Mondays at the Yreka campus from 3 p.m.-6:15 p.m. from June 3 to August 5, 2019. There is still time for students to sign up for this course. To find out more about the class contact Kim Freeze by sending an email to kfreeze@siskiyous.edu.

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